Cedar Creek Tavern revamps and reinvents Ashley River Road restaurant and bar
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
A creek is typically defined as being dynamic, always in motion, moving towards something larger, and gaining momentum as it goes along. It feels apropos that the new restaurant and bar located at 2578 Ashley River Road is named Cedar Creek Tavern.
Since there isn’t an actual Cedar Creek running anywhere in West Ashley, perhaps the name serves as more of a metaphor and a fitting one, at that because Cedar Creek has been riding a rush of momentum since taking over the space formerly occupied by Trayce’s Too near the end of last year.
Locals who haven’t been in since the ownership changed hands are quickly finding out that the new spot has little in common with the former longtime West Ashley watering hole that previously occupied the same space. Cedar Creek Tavern is completely revamped, literally from the bottom to the top. Everything is new, from the hardwood floors on up, including the walls, which are, you guessed it, covered in planks of cedar, giving the place a much warmer, welcoming feel.
The old high-top tables have been replaced with nicer, new ones and the old bar stools have been replaced with brand-new, super-comfy casino-style stools that you won’t find anywhere else in Charleston. There’s now a large stage where live entertainment occurs almost every night, ranging from live trivia, music bingo, and karaoke to solo acoustic music on Tuesdays and live bands every Friday night.
There are more than 20 new, large-screen televisions spread throughout the 3,500-square-foot space to watch your favorite sporting event and four brand-new high-end professional Diamond pool tables that can be rented by the hour, bringing in the more serious billiard players. According to general manager Patrick Conroy, more changes are coming down the pike, like complete bathroom renovations and a new bar top.
Another obvious change is the creation of a new, dynamic menu, which includes elevated bar standards such as burgers, wings, tacos, pizza, and more. But what has Cedar Creek Tavern truly standing out among the string of dive bars on this side of town is the hiring of experienced kitchen manager Adiel Gonzalez. An expert sushi chef, Gonzalez is setting new expectations of what bar food can be for this part of town.
Gonzalez not only takes pride in the quality and freshness of the sushi he creates, but he says the presentation is a big part of it.
“I like it when we decorated and plate it nice and I then can see how the customers like it when we send it out,” says Gonzalez, who has worked at several Lowcountry restaurants before taking over the kitchen at Cedar Creek, including rolling sushi at Locals Sushi & Sports Pub, Tobo Sushi at Revelry Brewing Co., and Snapper Jack’s on Folly Beach. Conway met Gonzalez when they previously worked together at Revelry.
“We thought it would be a good marriage here in this market since there’s really not any sushi close by,” says Conway about bringing Gonzalez on board at Cedar Creek. “It’s convenient for people who live out here in Shadowmoss and other neighborhoods who don’t have to travel downtown anymore for good sushi because they can just come here now.”
While there have been lots of changes since the place officially became Cedar Creek Tavern, there are a couple things that have remained the same that Trayce’s regulars will recognize. Namely, co-bar managers Ghislaine Hiers and Brandon Pendergrass, who have been around the place for quite a while.
“It’s so nice to have reliable help. To have stability in the kitchen is just one less thing to worry about it,” says Pendergrass regarding having Gonzalez running the kitchen and sushi bar.
“Everybody loves the improvements,” says Hiers. “In the beginning, we got so much pushback, but now we’ve gained so many more customers.”
And she says it’s not just the customers who appreciate the changes, the staff does, too.
“It’s incredible to see the difference,” she says. “Who would not love having a beautiful space to come to work in?”
According to Hiers, the biggest challenge so far has been shaking any negative stigma people might have had surrounding the previous business.
“A lot of people at first were like, ‘What, Tracye’s has sushi now?’ But once we got rid of that stigma we saw a change,” says Hiers, who has seen business double or even triple since the switchover.
Pendergrass says it’s been nice to experience a meshing of local crowds. He says many Trayce’s Too customers have remained but now there are new patrons who have come since the new place opened and even others who have bounced over to Cedar Creek since the recent closing of Back Nine Pub.
Conway notes that there is a different crowd coming in now. For example, he says more single women feel comfortable coming in and sitting at the bar and having a drink and some sushi. He adds that he’s always willing to escort ladies to their cars if it makes them feel more comfortable.
“We really want to provide a community bar and restaurant that caters to a lot of people,” he says. “We want everyone to feel comfortable here.”
Cedar Creek Tavern is located at 2578 Ashley River Road. For more information, call (843) 556-2378 or follow them on social media.
